Scion
by linkjames24
Summary: Ben and Gwen go through life, growing up and facing all its challenges and surprises. Together.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own this story. This applies to current and future chapters of this story. And with that, let us begin.

**1: Demolition.**

Ben hated waiting.

The time was five minutes to three. Ben was pretty sure that just like him; everyone else was looking at the clock reach the twelfth digit with its longer metacarpus. He leaned on his right hand while his left drummed the table. There was almost a rhythm to the drumming now. Pinky ring middle pointer thumb rinse and repeat.

It was summer.

Click.

Or almost. Ben glared daggers at the clock and muttered "stupid watch" under his breath. Wanting to alleviate boredom, Ben passed the time checking out most of his other classmates. Some were sleeping, others talking, and the majority more simply watching the clock.

Then there was that girl looking right at him.

She had curly black hair reaching her shoulders, and big blue eyes. Her clothes covered everything below her neck and it seems she had a thing for bugs, if that worm design on the front of her t-shirt was anything to go by.

And she was staring right at him. Ben wondered what she was thinking about. He certainly knew what he wanted this summer. To be away from all the trouble that offered his home, at least, just for a while.

Plus those glasses remind him too much of his cousin.

Ben loved Bellwood. But sometimes, he just felt like he was meant for something more. Something beyond the scopes of what this world deemed as normal. Something like…

The bell chose that moment to start ringing. Ben blinked fast and took his bag as he made his way out of the room. Cheers and laughter could be heard all over the place as people celebrated their escape from the confines of school. There was a white banner with the word "FREEDOM AT LAST!" painted in red mixing with confetti. Multiple teachers were telling the students to stop running and have a summer blast. Ben just wanted to see Gw…the dweeb.

So he could mock her again. Yeah, that was what Ben was going to do. Bet she wanted to come on his trip this summer. Well, sucks to be her but Ben's the only one getting treatment this time.

Plus, she didn't really need it did she…

"Hey. Wait up!"

Ben looked curiously at the girl who was catching her breath chasing after him. "Those… People! There were so many!" She gasped. Ben was again reminded of the dweeb as he looked at the girl wearing those glasses. He immediately decided to call her four eyes.

"What do ya need four eyes?" Ben grinned at her. That became a worried frown when she was still breathing heavily right after having taken in a lot of air. "Hey, are you okay or something? I can call the doctor if you want…"

She waved him off as four eyes held her stomach. "Just… not used to… physical stuff!" She took in some air before standing up straight and looking Ben right in the eyes. "I need your help."

"Hmm? What would that be?" Ben took out his notebook and began doodling some stuff. He's been having these weird dreams lately, of two green faces always bugging him. Then it became…

"Hey! Are you listening?" Four eyes said enough for Ben to know.

"Listen geek. I'm in a rush to bid farewell to someone who wasn't as fortunate so if you could please…"

"Would you please do my homework?!" Four eyes bowed, making Ben's eyes widen and him a little embarrassed as the two started gaining attention.

"Hey! Would you shut it down?" Ben waved his arms in frantic as he tried calming down the weirdo who tried her hardest to embarrass them both. "Alright! Alright! I don't even know who you are so seriously?"

"Taylor! My name's Taylor!"

"Taylor please calm down before you have a heart attack!" Ben walked back slowly, hoping to avoid the attention he's getting from both her and the number of people gathering around them, some taking pictures of the two and laughing. That fact made Ben even more uncomfortable with the situation.

Just then Ben felt something hit his back as he went face first against the covered walk. "Hey!" He heard Taylor scream against the person who attacked Ben. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Hey Tennyson. Miss me?" Ben rubbed his back. It still hurt. He looked up to his attacker. He was a tanned guy with black hair, wearing red shirt and black pants and shoes. "Did you see that folks! Dude just fell over himself! Talk about ego huh?"

"Cash…" Ben muttered as he groggily got up to his feet. "What do you want?" He glared at the punk, and the guy he was talking to.

"Nut it nerd before I take a turn!" The other guy wore glasses too, and he had brown hair. He wore a green combination of clothes that somehow make Ben loathe him even more.

"Hey, hey! J.T. my man! This guy knows what I'm talking about am I right?!" The people around them formed a circle and began cheering while the more sensible ones ran looking for an adult to break up the upcoming fight.

"Heh. Like there's going to be one." Ben glared at the two one last time before turning his back on them. "The only thing you're good at is hitting when people aren't looking. Come on Taylor."

"You just gonna walk away Tennyson?" Cash taunted him as the guy raised his arms in a welcoming manner. The crowd booed as Ben made his way out, nonetheless parting instead of blocking him. He didn't really feel like fighting today. He won't let anything ruin his good mood. Not some weirdo, not school and not these kinds of people.

"Makes me better, don't it?" The crowd gave mixed cheers and boos for both sides. "Come on Taylor, let's go." He saw Taylor as she followed two steps behind him.

Then she fell down on the ground, not even bothering to get up.

Ben near instantly turned around and glared daggers at the two. Cash had both hands in his pocket and his left foot raised. "Whoops. My foot slipped." He grinned at Ben.

"You want a fight?" Ben dropped his bag to the covered walk. He took out a rock the size of his palm. "You've got one!" Ben threw the stone right at J.T. He was hit on the head and he fell down with blood leaking from his forehead.

Cash charged straight for Ben, kicking him in the stomach. Ben groaned in agony as he tried to get up. Cash didn't let him. The guy kept on kicking his stomach all the while insulting him. Cash even hit Ben on the head, making his face feel funny.

"That's what you get for being a nerd, Tennyson!" Cash grabbed Ben by his shoulders and forced him into standing up.

"Any last words bitch?" Cash gave a frown as he saw some adults coming their way.

"Noob." Ben grinned even as blood leaked from his nose. He opened his palm. In it was another rock, the size of his thumb. Cash widened his eyes in surprise before trying to jump away a little too late. Ben smacked his palm against Cash's throat, making him fall down as he tried to take in oxygen.

Ben groaned in pain. He coughed up blood and spit as he made his way for Taylor, who was being treated by a red head in a yellow sundress. "Taylor? Taylor talk to me!" She saw Ben and glared at him. "You! This is all your fault!"

What?

"Ems, please. Emma he tried to help me…" Taylor chocked out the words. Ben looked at her with worry. It was bad enough she wasn't fit, now she took physical beating on top of it.

"No! I'm not having it! This stupid prank wasn't even worth it!"

"Prank?" Ben smiled. It wasn't one of happiness. He looked at Taylor, pleading her to tell him otherwise. "What's she talking about, Taylor?"

Taylor looked at him with guilt in her eyes. She was about to speak when she shook all over. Taylor closed her eyes in pain as she grabbed her stomach. Emma spoke in her place. "We were supposed to embarrass you! Stupid! Now you got Taylor hurt because of-"

"Shut up!" Ben grabbed Emma's shoulder, making her freeze in fear. "Do you think this is some kind of joke!? Is this funny for you!?" Ben began shaking her as he lost himself in anger and betrayal at the number of people who've been picking on him. "I got hurt protecting your 'friend' and all you do is bitch around! Where were you then huh? Where were you!?" Ben was breathing heavily and tried calming down before Emma spat on his face.

He looked at her in rage and lost himself in fury. Ben slapped Emma once, which was enough to send her tumbling to the ground. "Emma?!" Taylor managed to crawl to her side and wake her up.

"Where were you…" Ben glared at her.

"She was with us, Mr. Tennyson." His hand was being held firmly by a man in a suit. His homeroom teacher Mr. Gladys pressed his glasses against his nose as he looked at Ben, the light from the sun reflecting the ones he wore. "And I believe you are coming with me to the Principal's Office."

Ben glared at the man before kicking him where it hurts. Mr. Gladys pressed his hands against his balls as tears leaked from his eyes. "Knocked out in one hit huh?" Ben grinned. It was full of malice. "Try two!" He kicked the teacher once more before running away. The crowd tried taking pictures but for some reason their devices weren't working.

Ben kept on running as he passed by the buildings. A mirror reflected his form, tears leaking from his eyes and his clothes covered in dirt and blood. He ran past the park. There was an old lady feeding the birds. The birds flew out of his way as Ben blindly ran, trying to get away.

"Stupid people! Who needs them huh?! Who needs people like them?!" Ben fell to the ground, punching it for all its worth as he cried in frustration. "They ruined my summer! They ruined my summer!"

"Ben?" A voice broke Ben from his state of negative emotions. A red haired girl wearing a blue shirt, pants, and shoes ran up to him. "Ben?! What happened to you? Who did this?!" She kneeled in front of him and tried checking out Ben's wounds. Her eyes, green eyes just like his; they were filled with so much worry.

Ben immediately hugged her, stopping his tears as he refused to look that pathetic in front of Gwen.

"Maybe, maybe it's not all bad." He whispered just enough for her to hear.

"Yeah." Gwen whispered back as she hugged him just as tight. It should have felt awkward, but it didn't.

Ben got up with the help of Gwen. He grinned at her and scratched his back as he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "Where's grandpa, Dweeb? We have a whole summer ahead of us!" The moment he said them Ben immediately regretted the words. Just earlier he was so happy that he got to come someplace where Gwen wasn't. Now, now it just felt wrong to be like that to her.

To be like them.

"I was coming with," Gwen looked away as she bit her lips before looking back at him. "But if you want, I have homework anyway…" Ben shook his head and smiled, with happiness for once.

"It's fine, really." Relief flooded in her eyes, which was shared with his as Ben's smile stayed on his face. The park was an odd place for them to meet. Unless… "Is grandpa nearby? I want to get out of here pronto. Place is too much of a shithole right now."

"Ben! Don't swear like that! You might get used to it." Gwen closed her eyes and shook her head in mock disappointment. "And to think you were my cousin. How the mighty have fallen." She opened one eye and gave him a grin. "Come on! Grandpa won't wait for you. What about Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra though? Are they going to be okay with it?"

Ben waved her worries away. "It's fine. I've already told them I was going to meet up with grandpa anyway. Got permission earlier today." They walked through a narrow path thick with trees. The leaves fell and sailed with the wind. Some fell on his head and Ben swatted them away. Gwen threw some leaves at him, and Ben retaliated in kind. Their laughs were very refreshing to Ben. Just the kind of help he needed. And making him feel guiltier for being so selfish earlier; seriously why was he noticing this now?

"Sorry for not inviting you."

"It's fine, really."

"No it's not. Have to make it up somehow." Ben said in a voice so low he thought Gwen wouldn't hear it.

"Make it a good one then." Gwen said as she twirled around, giving him another grin. Ben couldn't help it and he grinned with her.

They saw grandpa leaning on his vehicle just as they got out of the narrow path of trees. "Ben, I've heard of what happened earlier," he gave Ben a searching glance, as if to piece out the truth from merely a stare. Ben prepared himself for all the scolding as he looked at his feet. He wasn't going to apologize, not for this.

Instead, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Ben looked back in surprise as Gwen gave a smile. "I'm proud of you kid." Ben felt dizzy, like he couldn't breathe. He knew he could, but that was how Ben felt at the moment.

"How…?"

"Don't worry. No one will say a thing. I took care of it." Grandpa just gave him a wink. He patted Gwen's head. "Good job looking after your cousin. It's so much better when you two get along."

"Who said we were? The doofus just needed encouragement." Gwen poked her tongue out at Ben.

"As if, dweeb. Don't need one from you." He grinned back at her. Grandpa just shook his head.

"Kids."

It was a little while later, a few hours after surviving grandpa's octopus spaghetti soup that Ben felt refreshed enough to walk out.

Gwen was asleep on the lower half of the double bed so Ben quietly climbed down the stairs. He saw grandpa sleeping on the driver's seat as he tiptoed his way out. He opened the door and cringed when it made noise due to rust. He looked back behind him, and Grandpa was still asleep. Giving a sigh of relief, Ben got out of the Rust Bucket to check out the forest a little early. They were already outside Bellwood, and their first travel spot just had to be another place full of trees.

Ben hated waiting. But, remembering the people who actually care about him, his family, maybe he could wait a little, till they could catch up.

Just for them.

But that wasn't enough to stop his sense of adventure though. Ben went in the forest. The ground was damp. Maybe it rained here? The sunlight probably wasn't getting through. The leaves were thicker in this one than those in Bellwood Park.

Ben was just about to head back when an earthquake happened. "Right now? Seriously?!" Ben fell to the ground, his face making first contact with a puddle of mud. "Aw man!" Ben wiped it with his shirt as he tried to make sense of the scenario in front of him. "Not an earthquake…"

Ben looked at the glowing rock in front of him.

"So not an earthquake." Was it a meteorite? "Freaking awesome!" Ben jumped in the air, his left hand raised in a knuckle. He got closer and noticed a few more details as he did. The meteorite was black, with what appeared to be white dots all over it. "Come to think of it, they kind of look like stars…"

And its shadows were white.

Before Ben could respond to the weird stuff happening around him, the meteorite lunged straight for his arm. "Ah! Get away from me!"

Oh no. Ben's seen enough horror movies to know where this was going. "I'm too young to be dragged back to the well! At least make it quick!" He closed his eyes in fear and anticipation.

He waited.

And kept on waiting.

Until finally curiosity once more got the best of him. Ben opened an eye to peek on the horror scenario in front of him. "Huh?" Instead of a gooey dark creature from beyond his wildest nightmares, the only thing in his arm…

Was a watch.

It was pitch-black and as empty as space, with dots that resembled stars covering it all over. "Huh?" The watch wasn't giving a sense of time. Instead, there was a picture in it, of two faces that were from his dream. "Am I dreaming right now?" Ben looked at the icon on his watch and decided to press it, simply out of curiosity. "Dreams can't possibly hurt, that much."

And then he was loaded with memories_. There was an old guy, with a beard, talking to two beautiful green humanoids that could only be described as the apex of feminine beauty._ As fast as they entered, the memories disappeared, leaving Ben only with the knowledge that something entered his mind and took some pieces of him with it.

"Give me the Omnitrix, boy!" And, just like that, the dream-like feeling Ben had a moment earlier disappeared. In its place was a nightmare.

A really ugly nightmare.

One that looked like a mutated octopus on steroids. "Eh, shouldn't have eaten what grandpa made earlier." Now he was paying the price for eating bad meals. The ground the octopus thing stood on was crushed and the forest around it was caught in flames. Ben gulped in fear before remembering the thing now stuck on his left wrist.

He looked at the icon in his hand and pressed it once more. And Ben was engulfed in green light.


End file.
